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Blaine: You too, sweetness.
I smiled as I sent the message, feeling full of happiness but not wanting to look like a complete nutcase. I tossed my phone to the side and started going through every one of the files, really delving into their cases. I called the clients with any questions I may have had. All of them seemed worthy of our expertise, but I was going to have to pick the ones that needed attention right away. There was no way that I was going to be able to handle all of those cases at one time. There were a couple of them, though, that could wait, and I called them to go over the sliding scale my father had worked up before he passed. I figured if they agreed, I could let them know that their case would be dealt with, but that it was not due for quite a bit of time, giving me the ability to work on other cases that had to be handled immediately.
The day seemed to drag by, especially with me checking my phone every five seconds. But, despite my moments of regret where I wished I could take a nap, I put in a full day of work, not leaving the office until after five. I was proud of myself for weathering the storm and making my first day back really good. All but one of the files decided to go with the scale, and most of them expressed their excitement to have me as their attorney. I guessed the family name was useful for something more than just to impress other people in high society.
At the end of the day, I updated Anderson before jetting out of the office, heading home to change my clothes. I wanted the night to be chill, and all I was worried about was having Josie in my arms. The rest was just details. After I changed, I sped over to her house, parking out front and walking up to the door to greet her. I missed her and had only been away from her for half a day. I was starting to turn into a complete puss, but I didn’t care. I was crazy about the girl. I just couldn’t believe how deep my feelings had gotten for Josie in the span of a week. She was on my mind constantly, and she had this way of making me smile, even when I was struggling to make it through a day. I had never experienced feelings like those before, no matter what girl I was seeing.
The night before was absolutely amazing, and I loved every single second that I spent with Josie. As I reached the front door, I took a deep breath, really excited to see her. I could only pray that tonight turned out just as amazing, if not more than all the nights before that one. Things just kept getting better and better.
Chapter 12
Josie
I was extremely excited to see Blaine. I had been thinking about him all day. When he knocked on the door, I jumped up from the couch, ready to go. I opened the door and threw my arms around him, squeezing him tightly and feeling his arms around me. It had been a long day, and after I knew I was going to see him that night, I couldn’t help but watch the clock. It ticked by so slowly, and when the final bell rang for school, I was up and out of there. I was so proud of him for going back to the firm and chasing his dreams. It was exactly what I knew was inside of him all along.
He walked me to the car, grasping my hand tightly and opening the door for me. I watched as he walked around to the driver’s side and jumped in. He buckled his seatbelt and put his hands on the steering wheel, looking over at me and smiling.
“So, what exotic location do you want to explore tonight?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, sighing. “I’m not really in the mood for any crazy adventures tonight. How about we go back to your place, and I’ll cook you a good, home-cooked meal?”
“That sounds amazing to me,” he said, smiling. “I mean, I’m not one to turn down a hot meal. Netflix and chill seems good to me tonight.”
“I like the Netflix,” I said, laughing. “But chilling wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for later.”
He laughed as I winked at him and put the car in drive, pulling away from the curb and heading back toward his place. I was pretty excited to get to spend the evening at his house. I loved the fact that it was so beautiful and clean, and the ocean was literally his backyard. Even when you were inside, if you listened h
ard enough, you could hear the waves crashing on the shore. It was spellbinding, and I knew that as soon as I got there, I could relax and spend some stress-free time with this amazing man.
As we drove, I tucked my phone in my purse, just in case my father happened to call. Blaine looked over and grabbed my hand, pulling it into his lap and smiling. I loved how he needed to always be touching me in some way. I really wanted to have a night where I just slept in his comfortable bed, wrapped in his strong arms, and feeling his chest heaving as he slept. It sounded silly, but I really felt that one of the most intimate things you could do with someone was sleep in their bed, cuddled in their arms. It was like the emotional side of intimacy, just being close to each other and being completely comfortable with it all.
When we got to his house, I immediately made a bee-line for the kitchen, excited to finally get to cook something in a real kitchen, with new appliances. I really loved to cook, which was why most nights, I didn’t mind cooking my father food. The biggest thing I hated was the fact that we couldn’t afford really good ingredients like Blaine could. I did the best with what I had, and usually, I could at least make my father the kind of food that he liked. He was kind of picky, and I’d been forced to call my mom for recipes after she first left. Luckily, she didn’t take her recipe cards with her, so I’d been using them ever since then.
I looked through the cabinets, amazed at how much food he had stocked up. He was insane with his house, and I was pretty sure, after getting to know him, it wasn’t likely that he used the food in the pantry very often. I pulled out all the ingredients to make some delicious fettucine alfredo and went to work, making the sauce from scratch and adding some steamed broccoli to the top. It was absolutely delicious when I tasted a bit off the spoon, and I was excited to have him try it. He came over and took out the plates and silverware to set the table, kissing me on the cheek as he walked by.
When the table was fully set, I walked over, putting the noodles, sauce, and broccoli carefully on the plate. He pulled out a bottle of white wine and filled our glasses, making sure to not spill it. When we sat down, he tried his meal, and I held my breath, waiting for his reaction. He chewed carefully, looking for all the flavors that I had put into it.
“Wow,” he said, wiping his mouth. “This is absolutely amazing.”
“Thank you,” I said proudly. “It’s one of my favorite dishes.”
“It’s been so long since I had a home-cooked meal,” he said. “My housekeeper keeps the shelves stocked with food, but I rarely eat anything. I am pretty sure she takes the stuff home that is about to expire so that food isn’t wasted. I almost don’t eat certain things so I can make sure she has a good bounty at the end of the month. I pay her through a service, but I am almost positive she only gets a fraction of what it costs me to have her there. She told me last year, she didn’t even get the entire bonus I gave them. After that, I decided that any bonuses would be paid by check directly to them, and not through the company. I would switch, but then I would lose her, and she keeps me together.”
“That was the most spoiled thing you’ve said to me,” I said, laughing. “Your housekeeper keeps your life together.”
“First world problems,” he joked.
“You have a big heart,” I said, smiling. “Even if you try to hide it from everyone.”
“Seriously, though,” he said, taking another bite. “This is delicious. Thank you.”
I beamed, knowing that he really liked my cooking, something I was very confident in. I loved cooking for other people, and I always thought that if my teaching career ever imploded, I would open a restaurant and cook whatever I wanted. It would be good, home-cooked food from scratch. I had worked up a whole business idea in my head that incorporated the non-profit I wanted to start and other ways that I could help the community. It was definitely a pipe dream, but I enjoyed thinking about it, especially when things started to get rough at home. I guessed I was a dreamer, someone who hid behind a fantasy to escape the stress of their reality. I was realistic about it, and I didn’t always do it that way, but I definitely would retreat to those dreams whenever I wanted to get my mind off of things.
We sat quietly and enjoyed our meal. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but instead, it was just two people enjoying each other’s company over a hot meal and some wine. I loved this part of the day, and I found that it was even better, sharing it with Blaine. We both finished our plates at the same time, leaning back and stretching with full bellies. He yawned and rubbed his stomach, looking up at me with a smile.
“That was delicious,” he said. “So, what’s for dessert?”
“Me,” I said, feeling extra feisty.
